Wife of Reno firefighter starts petition seeking to prevent layoffs

The wife a Reno firefighter facing a layoff after the city lost a big federal grant has launched a petition asking Mayor Bob Cashell to find a way to save the jobs.

(Photo: RGJ file)

Jennifer Miceli said she created the online petition out of frustration at what she sees as a lack of effort by the city council to find an alternative solution to laying off 35 firefighters on July 1.

"After receiving an extremely generic email response from a city council member that posed no real solution or true concern for the problem at hand, I wanted to clearly demonstrate to our city council that this is an issue taken seriously by the citizens of Reno," she said in an email.

Miceli is married to Wesley Boatman, a Reno firefighter since 2007. He's low on the seniority list, meaning he is one of the first to face a potential layoff.

Layoff notices go out on May 1. Reno City Manager Andrew Clinger said the layoffs are necessary because Reno was not awarded a $12 million federal grant this year. Since 2011, Reno has relied on the so-called SAFER grant to remain fully staffed.

After laying off 35 firefighters, more than a quarter of its entire force, the city will "brown out" three fire stations, opening them only on days when fire hazards are high.

Miceli, a post-graduate biochemistry student, said she will likely have to end her studies if her husband is laid off.

"It will also put us in a very troubling financial position," Miceli wrote in an email to the city council, noting that its difficult for firefighters to find another job.

Only one council member responded to her email. Councilwoman Jenny Brekhus sympathized with her plight, and said she would do her "best to look at the city's needs broadly to ensure that the best possible public safety protection we can afford is a priority."

Miceli said she was bothered by the lack of response from the council, and the lack of details in Brekhus's response.

"I knew it was important for our city council members to hear these concerns, so I started the petition to give the people of Reno an easy (and hopefully effective) way of expressing their concerns not only for the firefighters at risk, but for the safety of Reno citizens," she said.

As of Tuesday afternoon, 777 people had signed the online petition.

Miceli said she is casting her net wide, hoping for support from outside the city limits as well. Indeed, several of the names on the petition are from people out of state.

Miceli hopes to get 5,000 signatures to present to the city council before May 1, when the layoff notices go out. The city starts its budget process next week.